1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to adjustable clothes hangers for hanging clothes of various sizes with generally equal ease and facility.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Adjustable garment hangers are known in the prior art. For example, Darden, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,611, discloses a hanger having adjustable trouser hanging means and a collapsible neck portion. McClenning, U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,572, shows a clothes hanger having extendable arms. The extendable arm sections are adapted to fit within channels in the main, supporting arms, said arms being rotatable at a central support position, under the hook. The movable arm sections fit within the channels in a sliding arrangement. Wang, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717 053, discloses a foldable miniature garment hanger having extendible and retractable arms. The extension arms fit within channels in a partially slidable arrangement. Karner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,395, shows a clothes hanger comprising a tubular central portion to telescopically hold slidable "end pieces" between inner and outer (extended) positions. Further, Gatling, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,877, shows an adjustable garment hanger with a main body member having a pair of oppositely extending arms within a pair of sleeves that slide over the arms to provide hanger arms of variable lengths. Additionally, Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,152, shows a clothes hanger with a pair of extendible shoulder members telescopically mounted on a pair of basic shoulder members. Moreover, Lain, U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,358, shows a clothes hanger having adjustable arm lengths by means of extender arms mounted for pivoting and sliding movement along a support arms.
While the clothes hanger arrangements shown by the above prior art generally provide adjustable means for supporting garments of variable sizes, none of these patented hangers, together or combined, discloses or suggests the overall design, configuration, and material of the present invention, which is directed to clothes hangers that may be fabricated from molded, virgin or recycled polymer materials, and which hangers having adjustable left and right side members fixed to stationary supporting arms by the use of molded clamp members engaging grooves or slots in the fixed arms and the adjustable arms thereof. As such, the hanger according to the present invention achieves advantages in simplicity of construction, cost, and operational efficiency over the prior art all of which will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.